Increasing Your Company's Valuation with S&OP

Now in its 11th year, the Best of the Best S&OP Conference is renowned as a global gathering of the
brightest minds in the industry. The Best of the Best S&OP Conference presented by APICS and the
Institute of Business Forecasting and Planning (IBF) is the leading educational and networking event for
professionals in the field. The educational sessions presented here in Chicago will cover a range of
in-depth topics to help you implement or improve S&OP within your organization.

“This event was very informative and there were great ideas presented
that I will be using to improve our forecasting process.”Barbara Thomas, Demand Planning Manager, Ecolab, Inc.

The Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning – IBF is a membership organization recognized
worldwide as the premier full-service provider of demand planning, forecasting, business analytics, S&OP
education, benchmarking research, training, certification, world-class conferences, and advisory
services. Since 1981, the IBF has been helping businesses improve their forecasting and planning
performance in an effort to enhance growth, optimize supply chains, and improve their bottom line. It
has been said that no other organization on the globe has as much depth in its educational content for
Demand Planning & Forecasting as IBF.

Having some of the world's most well known global companies as its members, the IBF is constantly
finding and disseminating better ways to manage demand, improve organizational efficiency, and company
performance. By becoming an IBF member, you can ensure that you stay current with proven best practices,
link with global professionals facing similar challenges, ascend in your career, and bring your
organization to best-in-class levels in performance. The IBF is a pioneer in developing a Demand
Planning, Forecasting, and S&OP Certification program that can help boost your credentials, as well
as, give management greater confidence in its people. The IBF is known for two levels of certification:
Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF®) and Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF®).

APICS is the premier professional association for supply chain and operations management and the
leading provider of research, education and certification programs that elevate supply chain excellence,
innovation and resilience. APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), APICS
Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and APICS Supply Chain Operations Reference Professional
(SCOR-P) designations set the industry standard. With over 43,000 members and more than 300
international partners, APICS is transforming the way people do business, drive growth and reach global
customers.

S&OP has gained critical mass, and about time! It is now accepted as a key operational process and we’re all agreed on the value it provides. But that doesn’t mean it is a static set-and-forget project. S&OP is constantly evolving, and the S&OP of 2018 is very different to how it was when it was first conceived 30-odd years ago. In this rapidly changing Supply Chain environment, the focus is not so much on new technology like AI and Predictive Analytics, but maximizing existing processes for operational efficiency that can then support these disruptive technologies. Join this general session that will stimulate out of the box thinking to identify areas of improvement in your own S&OP processes, accelerate your company’s journey to maturity, while setting the stage for the rest of the conference.

You will learn:

A simple process model to use when discussing S&OP and the measures that really matter

How to integrate quality and six sigma elements into your planning process and why they are important

Steps you can take to accelerate your S&OP process now and tips on presenting your plan for maximum effectiveness

What is demand planning and how does it differ to forecasting? How does S&OP fit into the overall business planning process? In the world of forecasting and planning, it is not only important to define and clarify these functions, but to also understand their relationships to one another. In this session, you will discover how an effective forecast drives better S&OP and how demand planning’s collaborative approach is a catalyst for effective decision making, both for supply chain and the wider business.

You will learn:

How the forecasting function of an organization aligns with the demand planning function to support S&OP

How to identify tactical relationships between forecasting and demand planning, and define steps to support overall strategy

How common misunderstandings of S&OP cause fractures in your planning process

S&OP requires commitment, consistency, and qualified decision makers for a company to succeed in achieving its business objectives. Meticulous consideration must be paid not only to identifying individuals with the desired leadership abilities, but also to those added post-implementation. S&OP functional requirements are essential for anyone joining the S&OP family of leaders within an organization. Whether you are adding specialized practitioners, mid management managers, or executive level leaders, soft skills in collaboration with management are fundamental requirements for any team member. This session will detail how to strengthen your S&OP team with the right balance of skills to establish S&OP as a cross-functional value driver.

You will learn:

Identifying opportunities to develop the necessary skillset within the broader organization to enable cross-silo business planning

How to identify the necessary ‘soft skills’ for your organization based on its strategic vision, S&OP leadership needs, and functional strength

Addressing what the future demand planning and S&OP organization may look like

Rapid growth or dramatic changes in the business often expose company processes that are not scalable. Forward-thinking companies recognize that implementing a well-functioning S&OP process is instrumental to operational success. But to achieve successful S&OP you need to understand where you are today and know the obstacles and gaps that you will need to overcome in implementing an S&OP process. In this session, we will discuss aligning planning operations with the organizational goals to achieve a more accurate strategic decision-making process within the business. We will also focus on the importance of change management and ongoing oversight of an S&OP process to align with growth and cross functional

You will learn:

How to clarify and establish the time, effort and collaboration required to design, and implement an effective S&OP process

How to recognize if your organization is ready for change in order to move the S&OP process forward

How to encourage a change in mindset to build a culture capable of delivering truly transformational improvements.

Managing new product launch processes are essential to your company’s growth, but demand error for new products is high. How do you mitigate the risk of new product launches and ensure maximum probability of success? Innovation is one of the few tools companies can use to adapt to new patterns of consumer behavior, while improving top and bottom line performance. As such, a well-designed new product introduction process needs to keep the consumer in mind every step of the way. In this session, you will learn how to develop new strategies for today’s competitive markets and implement best practices for product planning. This includes leveraging the portfolio management review to better understand new product performance and better manage new products once released.

You will learn:

How to implement innovative forecasting techniques for new product launches while maintaining proper visibility in S&OP meetings

How to help your company drive alignment between the intersection of S&OP with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

How to leverage the portfolio management review for improved new product forecasting

The overall aim of the S&OP process is to be a vehicle for decision making and arrive at a game plan to manage and allocate the firm’s resources to meet the needs of customers and grow the business. A key driver for effective S&OP is demand planning and forecasting, which many companies find extremely challenging. Demand Planning and Forecasting drives the Demand Review meeting. Forecasts must therefore be assessed to ensure that they are realistic and unbiased. Gaps between supply and demand, and between forecasts and plans, must be closed to maximize revenue and profit, whilst risks and opportunities need to be visible to develop corporate strategy. If your team struggles to achieve an effective demand review process driven by accurate forecasts, this session is for you.

You will learn:

How to develop your forecasting and planning process for better S&OP

The need for an unconstrained and unbiased demand plan

Why it is necessary to invest resources to improve your demand planning and forecasting process

With the technology today, there is a tremendous amount of data available, as well as a variety of techniques such as machine learning and data mining to provide unparalleled insight into demand. Understanding how to harness this innovation for more robust planning is not easy, but one thing’s for sure: the technology that we’ve been talking about for years is now here and ready to be implemented in your organization. This session will reveal how to convert the mass of both structured and unstructured data into value-added insight to help improve service, reduce costs, improve inventory management, and increase profits. With a clear action plan, you can accomplish all this and more.

You will learn:

How to use descriptive analytics (e.g. reports, KPI's, dashboards) to report on performance metrics and determine plans for possible change

How to use predictive analytics to improve forecasting, customer relationship management and inventory control

How to determine when to use judgement or qualitative measures instead of analytics for better planning and forecasting

The supply review process is the “other half” of the Supply and Demand Balancing process, and is critical for long term management of capacity and inventory. Demand planning offers an unconstrained plan, while the Supply Review arrives at a constrained plan with options for resolution or issues that need to be elevated to a higher level. During this session, we will review the basics of the Supply Review process, while sharing best practices and what should be discussed during the meeting. This will include important metrics, tools, suggested participants, the cadence to keep, and more. With practical takeaways, you will learn how to make the supply process in your own organization as lean and efficient as possible.

You will learn:

How to develop your supply planning process and supply review for better S&OP

Cycle timing – should planning and reporting be done in days, weeks or monthly buckets?

Scenario planning and dynamic simulation look at changes in key drivers that impact supply, demand, inventory, and other variables. In other words, looking into the future to see how changes across these variables could impact the business. Scenario Planning done well and done constantly gives you the freedom to explore different options before they occur, allowing for better preparation and planning. This dramatically improves the effectiveness of your S&OP process but what tools and methodologies do you need? This session will reveal how to close gaps in strategic and operational planning, highlight risk and opportunities, develop playbooks, and be ready to react to multiple scenarios in order to mitigate such risks.

You will learn:

How to minimize surprises, ranging from 6 months to 10 years in the future

How to select and prepare scenarios for an efficient executive S&OP meeting

How to react to multiple unexpected situations and limit damage to the bottom line

We know that cash flow, working capital, tax efficiency and profitability are key to your company’s success. The question is, does your organization view these separately or part of a whole? Integrating these supply and demand principles with sound financials is a value-added approach that is often left under-exploited. Companies that operate with one integrated set of numbers (operational and financial) differentiate themselves by allowing decision makers to focus on all areas, thereby achieving wider strategic goals. By understanding the synergy between S&OP, Finance, and Sales & Marketing, you will be able to use demand planning to establish a top-down, strategic view of your organization for superior decision making. This session will reveal how and why synergy and integration are not only desired, but a requirement for the Big Data age.

You will learn:

How to balance and integrate the multiple financial drivers of profitability

The S&OP process is over 30 years old. Since then, market dynamics have significantly changed but the process has not, meaning there are shortcomings that need to be addressed to reflect today’s reality. These include having inadequate mechanisms to effectively manage demand for new products; not having a strategy to replace well-established core products that are now rapidly fading away; not having a strategy to deal with ever-increasing Supply Chain disruptions; and failing to adapt to new channels of distribution like eCommerce. In this session, we will show what’s lacking in many S&OP processes, with practical takeaways to bring your S&OP up to date and turn it into a driver of efficiency and growth.

You will learn:

Why and how to manage supply chain disruptions within the S&OP process

How to optimize opportunities in the fast emerging eCommerce channel

How to capitalize on new products with S&OP and why core products are fading away faster, and what to do about it

The executive review component of the S&OP process is a crucial element that requires careful planning to successfully communicate findings and recommendations. This session will reveal the best practices and key factors in leading a successful executive review that conveys findings in a language that is clear and actionable. This means developing a planning playbook to provide accountability and transparency to the executive team, where the insight from hard data is furnished with context and easy to understand implications for the business. In this interactive session, you will also learn from an experienced supply chain leader how to establish your executive team as stewards of the S&OP process so they can both oversee it, and leverage it as a strategic growth tool.

You will learn:

How to identify the key characteristics that comprise a world-class executive review

How to design and implement an effective executive review for your company

Methods to educate your executive team to be stewards of the S&OP process

In 2015 Berry Global embarked on a journey to create an end-to-end, integrated digital supply chain, supported by best-in-class tools and executed by best-in-class resources. Following the establishment of Centers of Excellence to support the road map the next stage was the deployment of an S&OP process as the key enabler for the Integrated Planning pillar within their transformation portfolio. This session will share to key insights from Berry’s journey, as well as the benefits of an integrated supply chain supported by S&OP.

You will learn:

How S&OP is a key enabler of the Integrated Planning process

Insights into how standardized and repeatable supply planning processes are a key part of the rigor and methodology to support the executive review

How to increase supply chain maturity and add integrated, policy governed organizational layers that support streamlined and standardized business process and tools

Receive Powerful S&OP article:

"Preparing for Demand Planning in 2025"

Put APICS & IBF to Work for You!

Become a Member of IBF & APICS and Start Improving Your S&OP Performance
Today.

The IBF Advantage:

IBF members include well-known company professionals that span a broad array of business sectors. By joining
our organization, you can make certain that your company sets up the right forecasting & planning process and
uses the best techniques available. Moreover, you can be sure that your forecasting and demand planning staff
has the proper knowledge and skill set for success.

As an IBF member you receive:

A subscription to the Journal of Business Forecasting, which is primarily written by and
geared toward practitioners.

Our Research Reports which include valuable benchmarking information and provide you with
eye opening information on various topics in Business Forecasting and Planning.

Special discounts on our Conferences, Workshops, Training Seminars, Certification
Program, as well as on any new products and services we will offer in the future.

There's never been a better time to be an APICS member. No matter what stage you're at in your career, APICS
membership provides opportunities to extend your knowledge base through members-only resources and cost
savings on educational materials. By becoming an APICS member, you'll be part of a community that is committed
to your success and to preparing you for a brighter future.

APICS membership provides you with resources that are unmatched in our
industry:

APICS magazine, APICS Dictionary and other award-winning publications

Member savings on courses and certification exams

APICS Career Center and career resources

Local, national and international networking opportunities

APICS Supply Chain Channel, an online community

Exclusive industry research

It's important to invest in your future. APICS offers access to exclusive and innovative career and
professional resources. Join today to be a part of the APICS membership community. apics.org/membership

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Video Testimonials

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Speaker's Biographies

Eric Wilson, CPF

Escalade Sports

Director of Planning

Eric is a predictive analytics and business planning innovator, author, and speaker. He is the Director of Demand Planning at Escalade Sports. Prior to this he worked as the Director of Demand Planning at Berry Plastics, and Director of Demand Planning & S&OP at Tempur Sealy International. In 2016, he received the Excellence in Business Forecasting & Planning award from the IBF. He is a Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF) with over 20 years experience. Eric is a visionary in his field, a frequent speaker and panelist for many executive forums and professional conferences, and has written numerous articles in publications such as The Journal of Business Forecasting and APICS Magazine. He is also the author of the book Cultural Cycles.

Mike Reibsamen, CPIM

Berry Global

Director, Integrated Supply Chain

Following a successful tenure as Director of Supply Chain for Domtar's Personal Care Division, Mike Reibsamen leverages 18 years of Supply Chain experience in his role as Director of Integrated Supply Chain, Center of Excellence at Berry Plastics, a Fortune 500 multinational company specializing in consumer packaging, engineered materials and healthcare components. Mike creates value from the Supply Chain by employing a people process-tools approach to synergistically assimilate all of the key fundamental Supply Chain activities together to drive poignant business decisions. Mike champions the value of the Integrated Supply Chain and its ability to balance the needs of Sales, Operations and Finance in an increasingly customer-focused world. Mr. Reibsamen holds a Bachelors of Science degree, an MBA, APICS CPIM certification, and was named to the Top 25 Supply Chain Pros to Know in 2018 by SDC Executive.

Christine Barnhart, CPIM, PMP

Berry Global

Global Process Owner - Supply Chain

Christine Barnhart is the global process owner - supply chain for Berry Global, a producer of protective packaging that generated $7.1 billion in sales in fiscal 2017. She is tasked with building Berry's supply chain council and program management office to identify, prioritize and manage supply chain continuous improvement and transformation activities. She also leads the design and construction of a global supply chain blueprint that harmonizes all the various processes and tools across all Berry divisions, and serves as the supply chain subject matter expert for Berry's digital enterprise transformation. Christine has a diverse background in supply chain with extensive experience in plant operations, strategic planning and global procurement across consumer packaging, pharmaceutical and appliance industries. She earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Evansville and a MBA with distinction from the University of Louisville. She holds APICS certification as well as PMP certification from the Project Management Institute.

Carol Utrup, CSCP, CS&OP

Parker Hannifin

S&OP Business Analyst Lead

After graduating with a degree in History and Political Science, Carol took a job in operations to pay the rent. Within a year she had fallen in love with the field and never looked back. She has over 20 years of supply chain management experience including distribution, logistics, inventory management, business analytics, demand planning, forecasting, and her great passion S&OP. She was CSCP certified by APICS in 2012, CS&OP certified by the S&OP Institute and The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business in 2014, and become an APICS Associate Instructor in 2016. She serves as the Director of Education for the APICS Cleveland chapter. Currently she is the S&OP Business Analyst Lead at Parker Hannifin, traveling around North America coaching, advising, and training divisions in S&OP and enterprise tools for demand and supply planning.

Patrick Bower

Combe Inc.

Sr. Director, Global Supply Chain Planning & Customer Service

Patrick Bower has a wide area of expertise, including S&OP, Demand Planning, Inventory, Network Optimization, and Production Scheduling. A recognized expert on demand planning and S&OP, and a self-professed “S&OP geek” - Patrick was previously Practice Manager of Supply Chain Planning at the consulting firm, Plan4Demand where his client list included Diageo, Bayer, Glaxo Smith Kline, Pfizer, Foster Farms, Cabot Industries and American Girl. Patrick’s experience encompasses tenures with Cadbury, Kraft Foods, Unisys, and Snapple. Patrick also worked for the supply chain software company - Numetrix, and was Vice President of R&D at Atrion International. He was also the recipient of IBF’s 2012 award for Excellence in Business Forecasting & Planning.

Brandon Bland

Parker Hannifin Corporation

CPIM, Materials Manager

Brandon is the Materials Manager at Parker Hannifin in Moncks Corner, SC., where he has worked in a variety of roles since 2008, including Contracts Administrator, Operations Team Leader, Value Stream Planner, and Logistics Team Leader. He began his career in the fire sprinkler and suppression business as a project manager. Brandon’s successes at Parker Hannifin include building the S&OP process from scratch and developing it into a key decision-making tool, establishing a tugger route, creating lean Kabnan systems for shop floor control, implementing and managing the facility’s PFEP, and managing the facility’s inventory. He holds an MBA from Charleston Southern University, and a Bachelors in Science from Clemson University with an emphasis in Transportation and Logistics. He is APICS CPIM certified and is a Six Sigma Green Belt.

Lachelle Buchanan

US Silica

Director of Sales & Operations Planning

Lachelle Buchanan is an experienced S&OP professional who works with medium and large industrial companies in the energy sector, currently working as Director of Sales and Operations Planning at US Silica. Before taking this role, Lachelle spent the previous decade helping General Electric evaluate international market opportunities, developing new products and commercializing new technology in the Oil & Gas market. Her successes include leading Integrated Business Planning processes and coaching business leaders in Demand Planning and IBP. Lachelle holds a BBA in Marketing and Management from the University of Oklahoma, and Oliver Wight certifications in Integrated Business Planning, Demand Management, Product and Portfolio Optimization, and Integrated Supply Chain Management.

Sara Park

The Coca-Cola Company

VP of Business Development

Sara has over 15 years’ experience in various planning roles at Heinz, Georgia-Pacific and now The Coca-Cola Company, where she has spent almost 6 years in Finance, Supply Chain, and Business Transformation. Her latest role is in North America Finance as leader for Volume and Revenue Forecasting. Before taking this position, Sara led teams in the Planning Center of Excellence for Supply Chain & Logistics, Integrated Business Planning, and Product Lifecycle Management, where Product Lifecycle Management processes were tightly integrated with S&OP and Shelf Planning. Having managed teams and developed professionals for over a decade, she is an advocate of mentoring, coaching, and sponsoring talent. Sara holds a degree in English from the University of California and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

John Piechule, CSCP, CPIM, CPF

Arkema Inc.

Supply Chain / Sr. Manager, Product Supply

John is the Senior Manager of Supply Chain at Arkema Inc.’s Sartomer Business Unit. At Sartomer he is responsible for supply chain process optimization, sharing best practices within the Sartomer organization and other Arkema business units. He is experienced in demand management, production planning/scheduling, inventory management, quality assurance and quality control. Prior to working at Sartomer, John spent significant time in the aerospace and heavy industry business sectors. He received his MBA and undergraduate degrees at Widener University in Chester, PA. John is a Certified Supply Chain Professional and certified in Production and Inventory Management. He is also an IBF Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF).

Gregory L. Schlegel, CPIM, CSP

Lehigh University

Adjunct Professor Supply Chain Risk Management

Greg has over 25 years or experience with several Fortune 100 companies across multiple industries. He has held executive positions in the systems, staff and plant operations environments and has been Supply Chain Director, Materials Director, Logistics Manager, Plant Operations Manager, CIO and Systems Director with companies such as Hercules Chemical, Sandvik Specialty Steel, International Harvester, Schlumberger, Loral Aerospace & Defense Electronics, GAF/ISP Specialty Chemicals and IBM Supply Chain Solutions. At IBM, he has worked with companies such a as Rohm & Haas, BASF, Dupont, Dow, Sealed Air, Shering-Plough, Novartis, Pfizer, Alcan, Mead/Westvaco, International Paper, Michelin ,
Goodyear Tire, Cooper Tire, GE, Caterpillar, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Tyco , Xerox, Coca Cola, Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Georgia Pacific, and more. Greg has also been an Executive Consultant for IBF and is presently VP Business Development/Principal for SherTrack LLC, an “SES”, Software-enabled-Services organization providing Demand-Driven Predictive Manufacturing solutions. As a supply chain practitioner, Greg has designed, implemented and managed several ERP projects, Supply Chain Optimization deployments, Decision Support Systems, Lean Six Sigma and TOC, Theory of Constraints projects within the process manufacturing environment. Greg has also implemented CPFR, collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment systems, S&OP Processes, Order Fulfillment, Total-Cost-to-Serve
Customer Projects, APS, Advanced Planning Systems and Transportation-Supply Network Optimization routines. Greg was also APICS’ 1997 International Society President. He is a frequent speaker at IBF conferences and seminars, globally. He has published articles in Supply Chain Management Review, IBF’s The Journal of Business Forecasting, Logistics Magazine Distribution & Transportation Report, APICS Performance Advantage, Hospital Materiel Management Quarterly, IOMA Newsletters, AIIE, ISSSP the Six Sigma Organization, WCBF Six Sigma, Asia Auto Focus magazine and ORSA/TIMS, now INFORMS. He also holds classes on Theory of Constraints and has taught operations management at the University of Scranton and St. John’s University. Greg has been a member of “Who’s Who in the USA East” and is presently teaching MBA supply chain risk management at Lehigh University in the Graduate Program. He is a graduate of Penn State, holding a B.S. in Operations Research and Computer Science, and has attended Lake Forest College of Graduate Studies.

Greg Spira

Mondelēz International

Head of Forecasting - North America

Greg Spira has a broad background covering Integrated Business Planning, Forecasting and Demand Management, Finance/Accounting, and Information Technology. He currently leads Forecasting for Mondelēz North America, and prior to that he led Integrated Business Planning for the North American Biscuits category. Prior to Mondelēz, Greg led Global Demand Management at BlackBerry, and has 15 years of experience in a variety of industries. Greg has a passion for solving challenging problems and driving change with the right mix of people, process, and tools. He combines operational savvy with an agile approach to solving business problems to add value and achieve goals. He has a successful track record of leading teams through challenging transformations, and enjoys developing and motivating talent.

Peter Thomas, CPF, CSCP

FMC Corporation

Strategic Planning Manager

Pete Thomas is the Business Integration Leader for a Business Process Modernization initiative at FMC that includes a Greenfield SAP S/4 Hana implementation. His experience in Agribusiness spans over 35 years in various roles including sales, market research, product and project management, business development, business improvement, and end-to-end supply chain improvement. Before transitioning to FMC, Pete led a business transformation program and was Head of Demand Planning and Forecasting at DuPont Crop Protection. Pete is an IBF Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF), Certified Supply Chain Consultant, and Certified Six Sigma Champion. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia.